Some Blog Site

One fine evening, we went to the grocery store.  It was to be a normal trip, just buying some food.  We walked in the entrance, got a cart and were greeted by the resident greeter, and then headed to the back of the store to work our way forward.

We did not get very far though.  At the first aisle, the main intersection for people both coming and going, there was a roadblock.  Not an actual roadblock, but a table set to the side of the intersection with two well-dressed guys at it.  As we approached, one of them greeted us and held out a piece of paper.  He asked us about family pictures.  It was a trap!  They were salesmen going for the uninvited, unsolicited, unwelcome sale from people who weren’t expecting it.

One of the major rules about how to avoid scams is not to accept unsolicited offers.  So my wife said “No thanks” and kept going, with the kids and the cart.  But the guy asked a simple question, something like “When was the last time you had a family picture?”  And although I knew I should just say “No thanks” also and keep walking, I made the mistake of trying to be nice and answer the guy’s question.

So I answered the question, which was followed by another one: “How many kids do you have?” and another one: “If you were to get a family picture, would it be the kids or the parents and the kids?”  He was a very aggressive salesman.  All the questions were phrased “If you were to…” which was his attempt to be sneaky.  I answered most of the questions with “we are not going to get our pictures taken” but he would not take no for an answer.

Another question: “We are going to be back here on these three days.  Which one would work best for you?”  I gave him a day.  Then he wanted a time.  His sheet of appointments for that day, filled by people I assume were equally annoyed by him and just gave him a time so they could get away, was already filled around that time.  “Don’t worry,” he said, “we can fit you in.  Your sitting fee is $10 and you can pay that now.”

At that point, when I said “I am not paying now for something I’m not going to do later” that he finally understood that I did not want to get our pictures taken.  He handed me the sheet where he had written some information (the date and time of our “appointment”) and told me to bring it back to this store at this time for our pictures.  Okay, maybe he didn’t understand.

Answering questions seemed harmless, but when he wanted the money immediately, for an unsolicited service, that was the end.  I finally caught back up with my wife and kids and we finished shopping.  If you are ever in some store, and you are approached by representatives of another business, avoid them.  Okay, you can make exceptions for Girl Scout cookies or the Salvation Army, but those are charities not businesses.

If you ever have the chance to do business with United Studios of America from Massillon, OH, don’t do it.  I was offended by their tactics and their name.  If your business is going to use a name whose acronym is USA, you had better be a good business.  These guys were not worthy of using “USA” for their business.

“A people whom you do not know shall eat up the produce of your ground and all your labors, and you will never be anything but oppressed and crushed continually.”
– Deuteronomy 28:33

Kraft is promoting their salad dressing made with real ingredients. My first thought was “Can there be fake ingredients?” Isn’t anything that goes into a product an ingredient? The only way for an ingredient to be fake is to mislabel it (which is a violation of federal law).

I first noticed the ads in the grocery store. There was a TV playing Kraft ads in one of the normal aisles (as opposed to the TV intended for the captive audiences waiting in the checkout lanes). It’s hard to turn around in public these days without seeing a TV. But that’s off the subject. I saw that the Kraft ads were for their new line of salad dressings made with real ingredients. What does that say about their other salad dressings.

So I captured a screen shot of their ad from their website. It’s an annoying Flash ad, so you have to sit through a bit of it before you see the following screen.

After looking a little closer though, I saw that the ad didn’t really say the dressing is made with real ingredients. It says it is made with the flavor of real ingredients. What does that mean? Fake ingredients but real flavor? I give up. It’s just a bad campaign. I am Some Blogger, and I disapprove their message.

“These things I have written to you concerning those who are trying to deceive you.”
– 1 John 2:26

I bought a small bookshelf to help organize the toys in the living room. The bookshelf was the assemble-it-yourself kind. I have done some of those before, so I expected it to be no problem. I got out the instructions and set all the boards in nice little piles according to their type.

The first page of the instructions said which tools were needed for the project. If you can see the picture below, you’ll notice that it shows only a hammer is needed. I thought that was nice – a simple shelf that needs only some dowels and nails pounded.

I then looked at the second page of instructions. If you can see the picture below, you’ll notice that it shows that I was to attach some screws. I thought that was odd – how am I to attach screws using a hammer?

I briefly contemplated hammering in the screws. But I ignored the instructions and used a screwdriver instead.

“So the craftsman encourages the smelter, {And} he who smooths {metal} with the hammer {encourages} him who beats the anvil, Saying of the soldering, “It is good”; And he fastens it with nails, {So that} it will not totter.”
– Isaiah 41:7

It seems a common American male experience to have Gillette send you a razor on your 18th birthday. Of course, they want you to use that razor and keep buying blades for it.

It think the competition, mainly Schick, should send out razors on men’s 19th birthdays. “By now, the razor you got on your 18th birthday is getting old and worn out. Why don’t you use this one instead?”

It’s the razor industry equivalent of bidding on the Price is Right. Gillette bids $800, and Schick bids $801. I suppose the equivalent of bidding $1 would be sending the razor on someone’s first birthday and hoping they have it 14 or 16 years later.

“In that day the Lord will shave with a razor, hired from regions beyond the Euphrates ({that is,} with the king of Assyria), the head and the hair of the legs; and it will also remove the beard.”
– Isaiah 7:20

To avoid sunburns, we use sunscreen.  Recently my wife bought a large bottle of NO-AD sunblock lotion.  It was highly rated by someone or something, so she thought she would try it.  It’s called NO-AD because they don’t advertise.

So we were at a place that gives you wristbands for admittance, and they write something on the plastic wristband.  It was written in permanent marker, and my wristband had gotten wet with no problems.  But after I applied this NO-AD sunblock, I noticed I had some darker spots on my skin.  I looked around and noticed that the permanent marker was running or bleeding off my wristband.  I thought “That’s a poor permanent marker to just be able to wash off with water.”  But after checking other people’s wristbands, I saw that mine was the only one with a problem.  So the only other conclusion was that the sunblock acted as a solvent for permanent marker.

I forgot about that incident until the next morning.  I did not put the NO-AD sunblock on myself, but I did put it on my children.  So the only place on my that had the NO-AD was the palm of one hand.  An hour later, I happened to hold a ballpoint pen.  It was the standard pen with the name of the hotel printed on it.  I’ve had it for a while and it never caused any problems.  But when I opened my hand to put the pen down, I noticed that the hotel name was now printed on my hand.  The ink from the pen’s shell, the ink that was used to print the hotel name and logo, had been partially dissolved by the sunblock and was now smeared on my hand.

So some ingredient in the sunblock is acting as a solvent to break down inks.  They could break into another market and increase their sales.  Just pour some sunscreen into a different bottle and label it as “permanent marker smearer” or something.

“Our skin has become as hot as an oven, Because of the burning heat of famine.”
– Lamentations 5:10

I just saw the report that the police used a Taser on some guy, and it not only subdued him, it also restored his heart rhythm as he was having some heart problems before.

Since Tasers are recommended as an alternative to deadly force, and since Automatic Emergency Defibrillators (AEDs) are recommended for just about every public setting, I propose that people carry one Taser to fulfill both recommendations. If Taser (or any of Taser’s competitors whose names no one knows because Taser is as established a brand as Kleenex) decides to promote this, it could be a very good campaign for them. It could allow them to sell their products in states or cities where they are currently banned. Just label them as AEDs and they are instantly legal! Or maybe it’s not that easy.

“The LORD is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The LORD is the defense of my life; Whom shall I dread?”
– Psalm 27:1

During some of my drives, I have been hearing advertisements for the JLTV (Joint Light Tactical Vehicle). This is a vehicle intended to replace the Humvee in military service. The defense contracts are pending, and several companies are vying for the contract to build this vehicle.

That’s fine and all, but what I can’t figure out is why they are advertising on regular radio stations. Most ads are meant to attract customers. It’s not like the general public can award defense contracts.

Are they running those spots to just a select few generals? Why blanket an area of thousands of listeners for that? Wouldn’t a direct mailing campaign work better? Or are they not allowed to contact (i.e. influence) the decision-makers directly? So they have to waste a lot of money telling everyone how good their vehicle’s design is, and hope that the right people hear it.

To those who are running the advertisements: Your ads are annoying. What do you want me to do? I can’t buy your product. I can’t help your business at all. If you want me to help, change your ads to include something I can do. For example: “Ask your doctor if JLTV is right for you.”

“Some {boast} in chariots and some in horses, But we will boast in the name of the LORD, our God.”
– Psalm 20:7